Court Clears Former Congress MLA Jai Kishan of COVID-19 Protest Charges
New Delhi, India – On Friday, the Rouse Avenue court discharged former Congress MLA Jai Kishan from charges related to a protest during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protest took place in August 2020, and Jai Kishan was accused of violating social distancing guidelines.
An FIR was filed at Parliament Street Police Station on August 28, 2020. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal reviewed the case and decided to stop the proceedings against Jai Kishan. The court found no grounds to continue with the case after examining the evidence presented by both the defense and the prosecution.
The court noted that the prosecution’s evidence, including a photograph of a warning notice, did not prove that Jai Kishan was aware of the prohibitory order. The photograph did not show the date or location of the incident, and there was no evidence that Jai Kishan had been personally informed about the order.
The court also pointed out gaps in the investigation, such as the lack of evidence to identify Jai Kishan among the protesters. The charge sheet did not provide a description of the accused, and the photographs only showed a large crowd.
Jai Kishan’s discharge application was filed by advocate Jagdeep Vats. The prosecution claimed that on August 28, 2020, around 40-50 workers of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, led by its president Anil Chaudhary, protested against the Government of India’s decision to conduct the NEET and JEE exams. The police had warned the protesters multiple times to maintain social distancing and informed them that Section 144 of the Cr.P.C. was in effect.
Despite the warnings, the protesters, including Jai Kishan, crossed the barricades and were detained. A case was registered against them under various sections of the IPC, Epidemic Disease Act, and Disaster Management Act. A charge sheet was filed on December 22, 2020, and the court took cognizance of the offences on the same day. Through plea bargaining, other accused protesters were convicted in Lok Adalat proceedings.
Doubts Revealed
Court -: A court is a place where judges decide if someone has broken the law or not. It’s like a big room where people talk about what happened and try to find out the truth.
Former Congress MLA -: An MLA is a Member of the Legislative Assembly, which means they help make laws for a state in India. ‘Former’ means he used to be an MLA but isn’t anymore. ‘Congress’ is a big political party in India.
Jai Kishan -: Jai Kishan is a person who used to be an MLA for the Congress party. He was involved in a protest during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 -: COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus that made many people sick all around the world. It started in 2019 and led to many rules to keep people safe.
Protest -: A protest is when people gather to show they are unhappy about something. In this case, people were unhappy about exams being held during the pandemic.
Rouse Avenue court -: Rouse Avenue court is a specific court in Delhi, India, where legal cases are heard and decided.
Discharged -: Discharged means that the court decided Jai Kishan did not do anything wrong, so he was let go without any punishment.
Prohibitory order -: A prohibitory order is a rule made by the government to stop people from doing certain things, like gathering in large groups during the pandemic.
Prosecution -: Prosecution is the team of lawyers who try to prove that someone has broken the law. They bring evidence to show what happened.
NEET and JEE exams -: NEET and JEE are important exams in India. NEET is for students who want to become doctors, and JEE is for students who want to become engineers.
Plea bargaining -: Plea bargaining is when someone agrees to say they did something wrong in exchange for a lighter punishment. It’s like making a deal with the court.